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When parents are expecting to have a baby, they had to take many important decisions. Among all of the decisions stem cell banking is the most important. Stem cell banking is the process of harvesting stem cell from cord blood.
Stem cells
Stem cells are the undifferentiated cells having a unique capability to transform into any kind of specialized cells. It can differentiate into any type of cell and help to regenerate the tissues or organs of the body. Stem cells for treatment are extracted two main sources. First one is the blood and tissue taken from the umbilical cord. Second is the stem cells from bone marrow, skin or liver.
Benefits
There are various benefits for an expecting parent to save the cord blood of their baby. The stem cells have the potential to transform into any type of cells, so these can be used in treating different types of diseases. Stem cells can treat even the metabolic as well as hereditary diseases and even cancer. There are a lot of cases where cancer has been treated with stem cell therapy. The disorders that can be treated by stem cell therapy are leukemia, anemia, cerebral palsy, auto-immune disorders, multiple disorder and even metabolic diseases.
Process
The process of cord blood collection is painless. The collection is done immediately after birth. Just after the delivery of the baby, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. Then it is wiped with iodine swabs to reduce contamination. A needle is then inserted into the cord to extract blood. The collected sample is transported to the lab by using special X-ray proof boxes which contains a cooling pad to maintain the temperature.
After reaching the lab, the blood is processed and stem cells are extracted. These stem cells are then preserved cryogenically in the storage tanks below -196°C. The stem cells are stored for long term until the need of the client. In the case of stem cell transplantation, the cells are taken out which is then thawed and used for necessary treatment.
Conclusion
On a concluding note, it can be said that cord blood banking will be beneficial for the expectant parents. The reason behind is saving the cord blood acts as future security for the baby as well as the rest of the family. If any of the people in the family gets any type of life-threatening diseases, then they can get a new life with the help of stem cell therapy.